New finds and old favourites on Kauai

The Na Pali Coast on Kauai is one of many sights to see on an interisland cruise in Hawaii.

Photograph by: Brian Newsome, McClatchy Newspapers
, Calgary Herald

It's the smallest. The oldest. The wettest. Its volcanic peaks are low, green-cloaked, worn down and scalloped by wind and rain.

Kauai. My favourite of the four main Hawaiian islands. The most lush, low-key spot in the world with a ZIP code attached to it. No freeways like on Oahu. No highrise hotels like on Maui. No kilometres upon kilometres of brown rock like the Big Island.

Of the smaller inhabited islands, Lanai is too sleepy and Molokai too difficult (its top resort recently closed). On Kauai, everything is just about right (except for the traffic around Kapaa). No buildings taller than a palm tree. Even the Walmart has the decency to hide itself behind a cloak of trees on the edges of Lihue.

I have long-entrenched favourite places to swim, stroll, sleep and eat on Kauai. But each trip also brings new spots that become old favourites. My last trip in March was a mix of first-time experiences and longtime standards. Here's my latest collection of Kauai gems:

Manawaiopuna waterfall

I've flown in military helicopters in South Korea and Saudi Arabia, but I can't remember a whirlybird ride as gluteus maximus-clenching as the slide up a narrow canyon to the dirt landing path next to Manawaiopuna Falls. Island Helicopters has a monopoly on landing near this cascade, which starred in the movie Jurassic Park.

We landed next to a reservoir carved out of rock high in the hills above the west side of Kauai.

Pilot Isaac Oshita, 35, a Wailua native, learned to fly at California's John Wayne Airport and honed his skills flying tourist helicopters at the Grand Canyon. But making the run up to the falls takes a lot of practice -- and good weather. The trip doesn't go if conditions aren't optimal.

Luckily, our day was sunny and bright, if a bit windy. We scooted over the landing site and settled in, the rotors rustling the trees like a mini-hurricane. We ducked out under the blades for the short walk up a trail to a pond under the thin, pounding strands of water tumbling 120 metres over the ridge above. It was one of those moments where I couldn't help but say out loud, "Damn, I have a great job."

The trip isn't cheap -- $349 per person is the list price. But what was so satisfying was to fly from the concrete tourist world of Lihue, over the industrial harbour at Nawiliwili and then cut inland into the dense, jungle-like interior of Kauai that I had never seen. The reservoir built by the sugar workers to water the fields downslope is intact, though the landing pad used in the 1993 movie washed away long ago.

Hidden beaches of the Na Pali Coast

Confession: I've been coming to Kauai for nearly two decades and, before this spring, I never saw the Na Pali Coast on anything but a postcard. Kauai brings out the languid traveller in me, and the idea of snorkel boats and helicopters never overcame the wonderful lethargy of beachcombing, strolling and hammock inspection that mark many of my trips to the island.

But the helicopter ride to the falls included a swing up the coast, and I saw what I had been missing all these years. The steep pali, serrated like folds in a sheet, were beautiful enough. But the gem was the many hidden beaches -- sometimes just small crescents a few dozen metres wide -- that dotted the coast. Accessible by only boat or, in some spots, the coastal trail, they were often deserted or inhabited by just a lucky couple of people.

The beaches are about as close to the shipwrecked paradise feeling as you can find in Hawaii.

The ride back to the Lihue Airport isn't bad either. We flew over Hanakoa Falls, which tumbles down the side of the Na Pali Coast. Then our route ran along the North Coast, over Kee Beach and the taro fields near Hanalei Bay.

The route back skirts Mount Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth -- with an average rainfall of 12,000 millimetres per year. We picked up some drizzle on the windshield as we passed the cloud covered peak. Then it was over the hills and into Lihue.

View from Brennecke's Beach Broiler in Poipu

This casual restaurant serves a good hamburger and a pretty stiff mai tai. But I take everyone I can here for something not on the menu -- the framed view of Poipu Beach Park across the street as framed from the second-storey windows.

I usually try to visit on my first day on the island -- lunch or an early dinner at the window. A gaze out at the golden glow of the afternoon sun on the yellow sands and the sparkle-dappled waves beyond says "I'm not home anymore" better than just about any place I know.

Brennecke's at its best -- when it's a little slow -- is like a tropical isolation chamber. But even when it's full and an NFL game is loudly pumping out of the TV over the bar, it's a tonic for me. I feel my pulse slowing, my breath relaxing and my shoulders dropping. I can hear the palm trees rustle in the tradewinds through the open window. Roy's has fancier food. The Beach House sits closer to the water. But Brennecke's Broiler is quintessential Kauai for me.

Hanalei Colony Resort

The one-lane bridge just down the hill from the luxurious but slick Princeville resort separates the north shore of Kauai. To the east is the resort golf world. Down the hill, it's low-slung and slow going, especially after you get past the town of Hanalei.

I've visited the Hanalei Colony Resort many times over the years and never stayed. Long ago, the big draw was a restaurant owned by Maria Rosario Pilar Martinez Molina Gutierrez de los Perales Santa Ana Romanguera y de la Hinojosa Rasten -- better known as Charo. The connection to the curvaceous Spanish entertainer, known in the 1960s as the "cuchi cuchi" girl featured on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Laugh-In, drew a steady stream of customers to the eatery she named after herself.

The resort next door always seemed a little too remote -- it's the only hotel west of Princeville on the north coast. During my visits, it often seemed to be either in disrepair or under repair. When I see stacks of lumber and a power saw resting on a work table, I know peace and quiet aren't going to mark my vacation.

But the resort seems to have turned a corner. The majority of the rooms have been renovated, and they are big by Hawaii standards. I stayed in March, solo in one of the standard two-bedroom units, and loved it. Be forewarned that though there are two beds, one is separated by a high wooden divider that blocks sights but not sounds. A lot of guests seem to have signed up for long stays, and there are potluck parties by the pool and on the lawn. The hotel will stock your refrigerator if you fill out an order form before you arrive.

The beach isn't A-plus. It's a bit rocky and windy. But it's OK for a dip and great for a sunset stroll. Charo's is long gone. The current restaurant is a winner called the Mediterranean Gourmet. It's picked up several awards from Honolulu magazine for its food and continues the eclectic entertainment of Charo's era, with the occasional belly dancer performing between courses. The hotel can also pack picnic lunches to take to Kee Beach or any of the other remote spots on this part of the island. The gift shop next door also serves a great espresso. Hanalei Colony Resort is one of those "not for everybody, but defi-nitely for me" kind of places. A nice find in a fantastic, quiet, lush part of the island. I'll be back.

Animal encounters: Snoozy seals and crazed koi

The beach at Poipu looked like a crime scene. Yellow police tape around the beach. Crowds with cameras gathered around. In the middle, a large brownish lump still on the sand.

It was a monk seal, probably dead and washed up on shore. We got out of our rental car and walked over. Mindy Schauer, the photographer I was travelling with in March, edged around to get a shot.

"I'm not putting dead seals in the Travel section," I told her.

Her camera clicked and slowly the seal's eyes opened, checked out the source of the noise, and closed again. The seal wasn't dead. It was napping.

They pull themselves up on the beach for a rest and the lifeguards use tape to keep the real problem -- tourists -- from getting too close. It's one of the many wonderful animal encounters I've had on Kauai.

There are quite a few nenes, the Hawaiian goose that is the official state bird. I've stopped to check out a donkey wandering along a back lane near Polihale Beach and watched as a big brown horse that had thrown its rider dashed miles down the sands near Waimea's pier.

The Kilauea Point Wildlife Sanctuary is a favourite side trip, especially when I am staying on the north shore.

The reserve, which includes nearby Crater Hill and Mokolea Point, is home to several kinds of nesting seabirds.

The area around the Kilauea Lighthouse, built in 1913, is a good vantage point to look for spinner dolphins, whales and monk seals.

One of my favourite animal experiences on Kauai is a bit artifi cial: the koi feeding time at the Kauai Marriott. Sure, it's a canned event at a resort, but the muscular thrashing and flashing of the colourful fish to get their meal is one of the most naturally psychedelic experiences you'll ever see. My favourite spot to watch koi feeding is the Byodo-In temple on the windward coast of Oahu.

But if you are in Kauai, stop by to see the action. I've never seen one of Kauai's most famous -- or perhaps infamous -- denizens, the sharks that surfers know are one of the dangers of riding the waves off the north shore.

Red rocks by Waimea Canyon

My love for Kauai comes from the lush, green world of the north shore and the northern slopes of the upcountry. But one of the spectacular things about Kauai is that there are many geological and botanical worlds to be explored.

The antithesis of the green fertile image of the island can be found on Highway 55, the route up to Waimea Canyon, which Mark Twain dubbed "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific." Before reaching the lookout, there is an area of red soil that can be found throughout the island, but is most prevalent on the west side (good for sugar cane and popular as a colouring agent for Red Dirt T-shirts).

Here is a treeless stretch where the landscape looks more like Utah than Hawaii. A small creek runs through a cut in the land, giving a splash of blue to the red. It's a palette that's the flip side to the greens of much of the rest of the island.

Just a small stretch, but a hidden Kauai gem that makes me want to come back again and again to collect more.

If You Go

TOURS: There are a number of helicopter operators on Kauai, but Island Helicopters is the only one allowed to land at Manawaiopuna Falls. The 85-minute Jurassic Falls Landing Adventure package has a list price of $349 (all prices in US dollars), but the company was offering a $100 discount during July. Shorter tours that take in just the Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon are available and are similar to those offered by other helicopter companies. Flights leave from Lihue airport. Island Helicopters flights can be booked at www.islandhelicopters.com or by calling 800-829-5999. WHERE TO EAT: Brennecke's Beach Broiler: 2100 Hoone Road, Poipu Beach, Koloa. 888-384-8810 or www.brenneckes.com WHERE TO STAY: Hanalei Colony Resort, 5-7130 Kuhio Highway, Haena. www.hcr.com or 800-628-3004. Rates start at $255 for a two-bedroom unit, rising to a starting rate of $275 during peak seasons such as summer. Ask about special rates and packages. Long-term stays of a week or more can drop the rate substantially.

Koi feeding: Kauai Marriott Resort, 3610 Rice St., Lihue. It's on Kalapaki Beach, not far from the airport and cruise ship terminal. The koi feeding is usually at 9 a.m., making it difficult to see unless you are staying at the hotel. But check for any changes or additional feeding times by calling 808-245-5050.

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